It's been a year in the planning but the Sangamon Valley Campers Club spent a week in sunny (for the most part) Myrtle Beach, SC. After the yummy annual fish fry hosted by Russ & Barb on SA (9-10), Tom and I started our trip to the Atlantic and spent our first night out at a Wal-Mart in Paducah, KY. Cheap rates and a nice thing for this mega-store to offer weary late-night travelers and truck drivers.
We met up w/Pat & Jane on the other side of Nashville, TN around noon on SU and caravanned to Candler, NC. This is the small 6-site campground Tom and I found on our way to the SOITC Rally this past June. Pretty setting w/the campers backed up along the base of the Blue Ridge Parkway Mountains.
The 4 of us arrived at the Ocean Lakes RV Resort MO afternoon and quickly got set up. Tom got all of us great campsites as we were only 6 campers away from sand and surf so we all headed to the beach for a nice stroll to unwind from a couple long days of traveling.
TU morning (9-13), the 4 of us set up our chairs and umbrella and had fun playing in the warm Atlantic Ocean. The tide was a bit rowdy so Tom and Pat got out farther than Jane or I, but it was still nice and refreshing. The rest of our club (Russ & Barb, Edith and Aunt Inky and Bruce & Audie)arrived that afternoon.
That evening all 10 of us had dinner at Pier 14 w/a nice dining view of the ocean along the "strip" downtown. After placing our order, several of us walked out to the end of the pier and saw a guy haul in a small spinner shark.
It was cool watching him and a couple buddies get the hook out of the shark's mouth and let him thrash around on the deck. Don't know if the guy kept it or sent him on his way back out in the ocean.
Had a terrific day at the beach WE (9-14) and lots of fun watching everyone play (some fully emerged and some standing in ankle to knee-deep water). This was the first time Russ has gotten to actually get in and splash around in the warm ocean water and he really seemed to like it. Of course, my water baby has enjoyed being in it the last 2 days and even bought himself a body board.
WE evening, Russ & Barb fixed BBQ pork chops for all of us. Afterwards, everyone but Edith and Aunt Inky who, bless her heart, came down w/a cold, played a round of miniature golf at Mt. Atlanticus. Lots of fun and a pretty view of the Sky Wheel w/its many colored lights over by the ocean.
TH (9-15) began w/a sunrise party attended by Russ, Barb, Pat, Jane, Audie, Tom and me. We got there way too early but when the sun peeked over the ocean and started rising over the horizon, it was truly worth the wait. Beautiful!
More beach time minus Pat & Jane, who wanted to check out the campground pool. I heard the same comment by different club members that day who said "This is the life!" Yes, it is and I'm so thankful that all of us were able to make the trip.
For dinner TH night, we went to Villa Romana, an Italian restaurant w/some terrific food. It was the best chicken parmagiana I've had in a really long time but, as usual any more, the portions were too large. Several of us had to take doggie bags home. Most of our group wanted to go chill out at the cg but Pat, Jane, Tom and I went to the Jungle Lagoon and played another round of miniature golf.
Overcast and windy early FR (9-16) w/the coastline being eroded pretty badly by the crashing waves throughout the night. So, some of us went souvenir shopping and others of us went to the Barefoot Landing, which is an outdoor shopping/restaurant mecca. That evening, Tom fixed brats and hotdogs on the grill. It was nice sitting around the campfire, which was a hole dug in the sand and the firewood placed inside the hole. We topped the evening off w/Audie's favorite thing to do...making smores! Yum, yum!
Still overcast SA (9-17) but not windy, which we were glad of since 6 of our group headed back to IL that morning. That afternoon, Pat, Jane, Tom and I went to lunch at Drunken Jack's in Murrell's Inlet and did a little more shopping that afternoon. That evening, the 4 of us played pegs and jokers. We had actually played that game on SU and MO as well. Sad to say the girls are still in a slump and have not been able to break our losing streak. All I can say is watch out guys because one of these days we'll get our groove on and you'll be the ones hanging your heads!
SU (9-18) was our last full day in SC. After I got back from church, the 4 of us headed downtown to stroll along the strip. Our 1st stop, however, was a nice smooth ride on the Sky Wheel. Beautiful ocean views when on top of this giant ferris wheel.
Around 4:00 p.m., we went to Gauchao's, which is a Brazilian steakhouse. Not as fancy as Chima's in Ft. Lauderdale and not as much to offer on their salad bar but there were lots of meat choices brought around on the skewers. None of us left hungry, that's for sure! It's quite an experience and quite pricey so a luxury we only take advantage of very, very sporadically.
On MO (9-19), we left a little before Pat & Jane to start our trek home and they started their travels up to VT. Tom and I spent the night at the Sweetwater, TN KOA and got to visit w/our friends, Dave & Gloria, for a few hours that evening. She made some wonderful Italian sausage and it was great seeing them and playing catch-up since we last saw them back in March.
Got back to the NSPOA cg around 8:00 p.m. TU night and here's where the "bust" comes in. Smooth travels from start to finish but ended up w/a broken glass bookshelf that we guess happened either on I24 or I57 due to lots of construction. Bummer but at least it was a minor fix and nothing even close to broken shock brackets like we had upon our return from the SOITC Rally back in June.
